Lecture Outline: Food & Health in the Global Context

Section 1: An Overview:• Statistics & Geographies

of Hunger• Why is food a health

issue?

Section 2: case studies of Bangladesh & Cuba

• Colonial background• Floods, famine & fame • Food security &

entitlement relations• Cuba - Foundation for

Nature & Man

Section 3: What is Global about Hunger?

• The politics of aid• Global food markets• Global food in the 21st

century

Global Hunger: Statistics & Geographies

• ½ world population malnourished

• 1.2 billion+ hungry

• 1.2 billion eat too much

• global epi-centres of hunger = South Asia, Africa & China

• 80% of hungry poor - rural

Why is food a health issue?Why is food a health issue?

• poor eyesight & blindness from poor eyesight & blindness from lack of vitamin Alack of vitamin A

• weak bone formation from weak bone formation from deficiency in vitamin Ddeficiency in vitamin D

• increased vulnerability to increased vulnerability to illnessillness

• critical periods: last stages critical periods: last stages intra-uterine & first 2 years of lifeintra-uterine & first 2 years of life

Why is food a health issue?Why is food a health issue?

It is not being small that matters, it is becoming small that is critically important. A mix of environmental forces leads to growth failure that also has consequences in other aspects of development. The real objective is not to make people bigger.

George Beaton, Canadian Nutritionist

MAP OF BANGLADESH

Insert MAP OF BANGLADESH

A case study of Bangladesh:A case study of Bangladesh:backgroundbackground

• British colonial ruleBritish colonial rule to 1947to 1947, , independent state of Bangladesh created independent state of Bangladesh created 19711971

• extensive river deltas & low-lying landextensive river deltas & low-lying land

• most densely populated country in most densely populated country in worldworld - - 860 people per square kilometer860 people per square kilometer

• one of the least industrialized & one of the least industrialized & urbanized Asian countriesurbanized Asian countries

• ½+ rural landless population½+ rural landless population

• growing urban migrationgrowing urban migration

• health issues – TB, Malaria, HIV/AIDShealth issues – TB, Malaria, HIV/AIDS

A case study of Bangladesh:A case study of Bangladesh:backgroundbackground

Floods, famine & fameFloods, famine & fame

• 1974 – Bangladesh flood & famine1974 – Bangladesh flood & famine

• estimated 26,000 - 1.5 million estimated 26,000 - 1.5 million deathsdeaths

• ex-Beatle George Harrison ex-Beatle George Harrison organized Bangladeshorganized Bangladesh ConcertConcert

1970 cyclone, 300,000+ deaths (people swept away from coastal islands)

1974-75 major famine1978 drought1979 near famine1982 drought & rural unemployment1984 flooding & heavy loss of rice crops1987 floods, 1,657 deaths, loss of 1.5 million tons of

rice1988 worse floods, 2,400 deaths1991 cyclonic flooding of coastal areas, 140,000 deaths1996 serious floods1997 serious floods1998 most extensive floods of 20th century, 34,000

square miles flooded, 23 million homeless, 1,000+ deaths

From the windows of buses and the decks of From the windows of buses and the decks of ferry boats, we looked over a lush green ferry boats, we looked over a lush green landscape. Rice paddies carpeted the earth and landscape. Rice paddies carpeted the earth and gigantic squash vines climbed over the roofs of gigantic squash vines climbed over the roofs of the village houses. The rich soil, the plentiful the village houses. The rich soil, the plentiful water and the hot humid climate made us feel as water and the hot humid climate made us feel as if we had entered a natural greenhouse. In if we had entered a natural greenhouse. In autumn, as the ripening rice turned gold, we autumn, as the ripening rice turned gold, we understood why in song and verse the Bengalis understood why in song and verse the Bengalis call their land ‘golden Bengal.’call their land ‘golden Bengal.’

Hartman and Boyce, 1983Hartman and Boyce, 1983

Food Security: a country or household’s ability to have a stable & reliable access to the food it needs through a mixture of production, trade, purchase or barter.

1970 cyclone, 300,000+ deaths (people swept away from coastal islands)

1974-75 major famine1978 drought1979 near famine1982 drought & rural unemployment1984 flooding & heavy loss of rice crops1987 floods, 1,657 deaths, loss of 1.5 million tons of

rice1988 worse floods, 2,400 deaths1991 cyclonic flooding of coastal areas, 140,000 deaths1996 serious floods1997 serious floods1998 most extensive floods of 20th century, 34,000

square miles flooded, 23 million homeless, 1,000+ deaths

The politics of food

Cuba: Foundation for Man & Nature

Entitlement Relations: the system which governs who ‘commands’ food, i.e. whether or not people can get access to food.

What is Global about Hunger?

The Politics of Aid

• 1,300+ NGOs & total US$300 million aid/yr to Bangladesh

• trade with aid & creating dependancy

• mega-projects vs basic health care & health education

Global Food Markets

• modern Western diet & consumer ‘choice’

• ‘Irony of Glut’ – 1st world obsession with dieting/losing weight

• exporting North American diet & diseases

Modernist Food – key elements

• Industrial foodIndustrial food

• Eating globalEating global

• Transporting foodTransporting food

Modernist Food – key elements

• Processed foodProcessed food• Rise of the supermarketRise of the supermarket• Making foodMaking food• Where we eatWhere we eat• How we eatHow we eat

Changing Food Habits, U.S.

Global Food Markets

Choices for developing countries:

• buy food at market rates or face famine?

• manufacture goods for trade or invest in local food production?

• increase cash crops or grow crops to feed own citizens?

• 2050 = 9 billion world population

• increase agricultural production?

• use existing agriculture OR new methods of biotechnology?

Global Food in the 21st Century

Global Food in the 21st Century

• developing countries = most vulnerable re hunger & want

• localized & rural process for food security & diversification ‘mixed food basket’

• 1st world inhabitants as global citizens – responsible consumers?

Global Food in the 21st CenturyGlobal Food in the 21st Century